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News & Updates.

Sculpture Cleaning, Maintenance and Restoration Globally – USA, UK, Australia, Asia and beyond

At times the team at ObjetkCare have been surprised by the lack of access to professional sculpture cleaning, sculpture maintenance and sculpture restoration providers in some locations around the world. However, as time has gone on, we have learnt who the best providers of these services are – and related services such as sculpture installation – and we’ve got to know some of them very well.

So, if you, your organisation or your family have a need for help with sculpture cleaning or any related services, feel free to get in touch with ObjektCare and we’ll help you connect with someone appropriate to assist you. In some areas, where suitable local services are not available we may be able to travel to assist (though of course this is very limited during COVID-19 travel bans). So, it doesn’t matter where you are – United States, United Kingdom, Australia, Asia, Africa, South America or Europe – we will do our best to point you in the right direction.

For those curious about sculpture maintenance and its importance, here’s a snippet published online as part of A Simple Guide to Sculpture Cleaning – particularly with regards to bronze sculpture cleaning:

Bronze is coloured using patina, which is essentially an acid or corrosive chemical which causes a reaction on the surface of the bronze causing it the surface to change colour. Different chemical combinations can be used to create different colours on the surface of bronze. A simple example is the use of ammonia to create a green patina.

One of the downsides of bronze (and many other metals) is that it is prone to oxidisation and discolouration because of atmospheric pollution. Oxidisation a reaction caused by the loss of electrons because of exposure to oxygen which can cause bronze to tarnish and discolour. This can cause brown, black, red or blue to green colours to appear on the surface of the bronze

Giving back – Sculpture Map New Zealand ‘tour’

Giving back – Sculpture Map New Zealand ‘tour’

To start off 2020, ObjektCare founders Nate Savill and Paul Spain will be travelling most of the length of New Zealand in order gain traction with a new project to support and give back to sculpture lovers and to help promote those in the art world involved with sculpture.

The project is focused on providing a website titled Sculpture Map NZ and featuring:

  • An online map of where many public sculptures and sculpture gardens are located
  • Sculpture artist directory
  • Podcasts
  • Interviews

The establishment of the Sculpture Map website comes following recent ‘pro bono’ work in late 2019 to clean a public sculpture by Terry Stringer on the shore of Lake Taupo. There was no fee charged to the local community or local sculpture trust for this work.

If you’d like to connect with the ObjektCare team during this trip, please get in touch. Areas to be visited include Hamilton, Taupo, New Plymouth, Whanganui, Palmerston North, Wellington, Blenheim, Kaikoura, Christchurch, Timaru, Wanaka, Queenstown and Arrowtown.

During the trip Nate and Paul will also be available to discuss sculpture cleaning, maintenance and restoration.

 

ObjektCare uses Drones to deliver fast and accurate Sculpture Surveying

ObjektCare uses Drones to deliver fast and accurate Sculpture Surveying

In mid-February 2019 ObjektCare became one of the first specialist sculpture care firms globally to begin utilising drone technology to survey sculptures. The sculpture in question was Chevron, a 15m tall work by Neil Dawson and located on the University of Auckland campus on Symonds Street.

ObjektCare co-founder Paul Spain indicates that he expects drones just to be part of the ongoing use of new technology the firm will use in 2019 “We love using technology to provide better and faster outcomes for our clients. We’re also working on leveraging other fresh technology during the year ahead so as to continue to provide the best sculpture repair, sculpture restoration and sculpture maintenance services in the Southern Hemisphere market”.

Auckland Art Fair 2018 Review: Space to Stand. 

Auckland Art Fair 2018 Review: Space to Stand. 

Many of you will know the Ad Reinhardt quote, “Sculpture is something you bump into when you back up to look at a painting,” well it would have been nice to bump into a few more at this year’s Auckland Art Fair.  

It could be the simple fact that while everyone’s got a wall, not everyone’s got the space for art that you have to walk around. 

This year I missed the confronting large works of art fairs past, sitting strongly in my mind is Rohan Weallan’s Wizard of Forgotten Flesh, which dominated space several art fairs ago. Still it was nice to see a range of art and objects, standing out from the walls here and there.   

Probably most Striking and confronting of any sculpture were the two works by Patricia Piccinini’s at The Vivian’s stand.  Two suitably flabby and hairy pieces drew huddled clusters of people at the Vivian stand. Both grotesque and yet somewhat comforting as anthropomorphic latex bodies.    

Tim Melville had a nice selection of Joe Sheehan’s ‘house upon the rock’ Nirvana works, both equally nostalgic and beautifully rugged.  Over at FHE Gallery were some beautiful greywacke implements carved by Renee Pearson.  There’s something about stone and the carving about that pulls us back into our ancestral past and finds at home with these cold objects. 

Paul Nache took a risk with empty walls and a floor full of precariously placed Virginia Leonard ceramics.  Leonard’s work are captivating in their visceral nature, the evocative energy of the forms matched by the vomitous use of colour on these large ungainly ceramic urns. 

Terry Stringer, a veteran of art fairs, had a range of new works across two gallery spaces. While his familiar form of hands of faces are still there they seem to be seeking new representation in his larger sculptural works.  Another notable New Zealand man of bronze, Paul Dibble, was represented with a splendid work hui and kowhai work complete with 18 carat gilding at PageBlackie’s stand.  It was nice to see, alongside, the Dibble work, a Drummond work.  Andrew Drummond’s work is not commonly seen in Auckland, and it was nice to see one of his signature Coal Wheel’s at the fair. 

Hannah Valentines contributions to the commissioned projects was a relief in the midst of the Fair’s ‘untouchable’ art.  Valentine’s A thought for Disruption presented an invitation to touch, hold and carry her work, which reminded of tools or exercise equipment.  It was lovely to see the hand formed image of the original wax carried through into the final bronze version of the work. 

An honourable mention must also go to Sydney’s Inunison Gallery for their inspirational collection of mostly Mexican in origin pop-art and op-art.  The lightness and humour that work by artists Mevna, and Davis Birks brought was inspired. 

Of course the painting, photography and video work at the Auckland Art Fair was great too! 

– Nate Savill (Co-founder, ObjektCare – Sculpture Cleaning and Maintenance)